Alvin Robinson

b. 1937, d. 24 January 1989. Robinson was a New Orleans-based session guitarist, and secured a minor hit in 1964 with a recording of a Chris Kenner song, ‘Something You Got’. The single was released on Tiger Records, a short-lived outlet owned by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who then took Robinson to their next venture, Red Bird. His first release there, ‘Down Home Girl’, was an inspired amalgamation of New York pop and Crescent City R&B. Later covered by the Rolling Stones, Robinson’s single was one of the finest to appear on this impressive label. It was followed by a reshaped version of ‘Let The Good Times Roll’, but the artist was unable to find another success. Robinson moved to the west coast in 1969 and was one of several expatriate musicians who played on Dr. John’s New Orleans ‘tribute’ album, Gumbo. He returned to New Orleans in 1985 and died in 1989.
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